Let's Compare NE and PITT

[mgteich]

Pats won 6 Super bowls, had 10 trips in 20 years and were Pittsburgh's Daddy.

The only time Pittsburgh made it out of the AFC was because their prayers were answered in 2005, 2008 and 2010 when NE got knocked out and Brady suffered an injury.

Nobody should care about Pittsburgh.

I'm sure we'll be in the playoff this year, and it they that will struggle to win 5 or 6 games.

My point is that if they do better, it will because their QB play is better than ours.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

Not mentioned yet...

One advantage Pittsburgh has over New England right now, and probably for the next few seasons, is coaching.

Tomlin is a good coach, for the most part.

Mayo? Jury is out right now...

After just two games I have high hopes for Mayo, I think he's going to be one of the top coaches in the league in time.

 

[NFL Mystique]

The Patriots have a potential franchise QB sitting on the bench. One that experts agree COULD be an elite QB. There's hope. Steelers don't have that. They have mediocre QB's. Ironically enough, the issue with Pittsburgh is their D will wn them enough games to pick in the middle. Yet, they stand no chance of going anywhere in the postseason.

There's nothing worse in sports than being in the middle. It's sports hell.

 

[Pape]

After just two games I have high hopes for Mayo, I think he's going to be one of the top coaches in the league in time.

I gotta say, I like what I see so far

 

[VrabelJr]

I'm sure we'll be in the playoff this year, and it they that will struggle to win 5 or 6 games.

My point is that if they do better, it will because their QB play is better than ours.

Just to confirm: you're sure that the Patriots will be in the playoffs this year? O_O

 

[Rob0729]

I'm sure we'll be in the playoff this year, and it they that will struggle to win 5 or 6 games.

My point is that if they do better, it will because their QB play is better than ours.

The Steelers are winning despite their QB. Odds are if the Steelers do better than the Patriots, it will be because their DEFENSE is better than ours. If you can hold your opponent to 10 points or less every week, you can win with almost any QB. At least until you get into the playoffs.

 

[Rob0729]

The Patriots have a potential franchise QB sitting on the bench. One that experts agree COULD be an elite QB. There's hope. Steelers don't have that. They have mediocre QB's. Ironically enough, the issue with Pittsburgh is their D will wn them enough games to pick in the middle. Yet, they stand no chance of going anywhere in the postseason.

There's nothing worse in sports than being in the middle. It's sports hell.

That is why I say they are in an endless doom loop. It is arguably worse than being at the bottom of the league for a year or two.

 

[PancakeBlockPaul]

I don't understand this whole "stuck in mediocrity" thing and it sounds like something fans make up to get the dopamine of having a high draft pick. The Chiefs were a floating around .500 to just above one-and-done playoff team for many years and emerged out of that with 3 Super Bowl titles.

Whatever consensus is, it's usually wrong. KC broke out of the muck by trading up for Mahomes, a move that was widely criticized at the time. If you want different results you need to do different things. I'd expect Pats fans to know that already.

Wasn’t Alex smith their qb before Mahomes? If anyone could define mediocrity, it would be smith. Absolutely huge upgrade and made the team instantly better. They were nothing before him really. Goes to show you what a quality qb can do for a team. Don’t think Drakes in the same ballpark as either but have a feeling he’s closer to Kermit than Smith.

 

[Ring 6]

Sorry you said Fields was late first round which is wrong. Fields was drafted 11th. One pick later in his draft than where Mahomes was picked in his draft.

And that goes to my point. Fields was the fourth QB off the board in his draft with the 11th pick and even at the time he was projected originally to be a late first round or even second round pick. If you are at pick 22, you ain't getting a first round quality pick unless you give up the farm. You probably ain't going to get a second round quality one either because they will be overdrafted in the top half of the draft.

And I never said you had to be in the top 5, but you most likely have to draft in the top half of the draft.

I meant Fields WASNT a late first. So yes high picks fail consistently.

Your argument is that the best way to the top is to field a terrible team and pick a QB. That plan had failed many times over.

There are many examples of competitive teams that broke through and win it all. What examples do you have of a terrible team that drafted a qb in the top of round 1 and then won a sb quickly?

History says you are wrong.

 

[PancakeBlockPaul]

Wasn’t Fields supposed to be one of those “generational” QBs? lol.

 

[Ring 6]

I'm sure we'll be in the playoff this year, and it they that will struggle to win 5 or 6 games.

My point is that if they do better, it will because their QB play is better than ours.

Their other 52 ate better than our other 52.

 

[mgteich]

That is why I say they are in an endless doom loop. It is arguably worse than being at the bottom of the league for a year or two.

I suspect that many steeler fans like never having a losing season and always having a playoff quality team.

Just BTW, being at the bottom for a couple of years does NOT guarantee you a SB quality team, or even make it very likely.

 

[Ring 6]

I suspect that many steeler fans like never having a losing season and always having a playoff quality team.

Just BTW, being at the bottom for a couple of years does NOT guarantee you a SB quality team, or even make it very likely.

Can you name any at all? A team that stunk and because of it drafted the great qb that led them to Sb glory.

 

[mike_usagisan]

Can you name any at all? A team that stunk and because of it drafted the great qb that led them to Sb glory.

The Giants with Eli Manning.

 

[Ring 6]

The Giants with Eli Manning.

That’s an interesting one.
Not sure if it fits or not because the giants had 1 bad year after going to the playoffs 2 of the 3 prior.
But then was Eli really the season they won SBs or did the win in spite of him.

the success when he was there was 2 hot post seasons where they weren’t excited to have much of a chance.
Overall with him they err a .500 team who made the playoffs just 6 times in 16 years, won a post season game only 2 times in 16 years both won the SB both times.

 

[mike_usagisan]

That’s an interesting one.
Not sure if it fits or not because the giants had 1 bad year after going to the playoffs 2 of the 3 prior.
But then was Eli really the season they won SBs or did the win in spite of him.

the success when he was there was 2 hot post seasons where they weren’t excited to have much of a chance.
Overall with him they err a .500 team who made the playoffs just 6 times in 16 years, won a post season game only 2 times in 16 years both won the SB both times.

Yeah, I’m not certain he qualifies either, but he was the highest pick QB I could think of who won a Superbowl.

 

[Ring 6]

Yeah, I’m not certain he qualifies either, but he was the highest pick QB I could think of who won a Superbowl.

Yeah, I think some people are operating under the belief that if you purposely suck to get a high pick, you can get a great qb and win SBs but it really hasn’t happened.
Those same people say being competitive leaves you stuck in purgatory and never get better, which is the opposite of what history tells us.

I think those people are more fans of draft day than games.

 

[mike_usagisan]

Yeah, I think some people are operating under the belief that if you purposely suck to get a high pick, you can get a great qb and win SBs but it really hasn’t happened.
Those same people say being competitive leaves you stuck in purgatory and never get better, which is the opposite of what history tells us.

I think those people are more fans of draft day than games.

That’s a good point. So what makes the difference when a team that was a basement dweller starts turning it around? I think it’s coaching, right? Getting players to buy in and start winning. You add talent and get better and better?

 

[Ring 6]

That’s a good point. So what makes the difference when a team that was a basement dweller starts turning it around? I think it’s coaching, right? Getting players to buy in and start winning. You add talent and get better and better?

If you are QB-centric it appears you just get lucky. Most high picks fail, or at least fail to be great.
And I agree with you, it’s putting the right staff in place and adding players. Good football players whether they are starters, roll players, backups. Every level of the roster matters.
I’ve long believed that the most important factor in drafting success is what you do with the player after you draft him. Few are NFL ready. The vast majority can go either way. They have to become professionals. They have a lot of technique, recognition and skills to develop and learn to be top nfl players. Hell even nutrition and lifestyle makes or breaks many of them.

So if you have a good coaching staff with a good plan you go get the best available jags to built a contender and you use the draft, trades and future FA to upgrade.
When you have 20 practice squad level guys on your roster
with 40 mill in your cap bank, those inept players get exposed and prevent your good players from having an impact.

And team at any time can get serious about being competitive and bring in enough mid level free agents to be competitive when they have the cap space we did. We chose a different route.

 

[mike_usagisan]

If you are QB-centric it appears you just get lucky. Most high picks fail, or at least fail to be great.
And I agree with you, it’s putting the right staff in place and adding players. Good football players whether they are starters, roll players, backups. Every level of the roster matters.
I’ve long believed that the most important factor in drafting success is what you do with the player after you draft him. Few are NFL ready. The vast majority can go either way. They have to become professionals. They have a lot of technique, recognition and skills to develop and learn to be top nfl players. Hell even nutrition and lifestyle makes or breaks many of them.

So if you have a good coaching staff with a good plan you go get the best available jags to built a contender and you use the draft, trades and future FA to upgrade.
When you have 20 practice squad level guys on your roster
with 40 mill in your cap bank, those inept players get exposed and prevent your good players from having an impact.

And team at any time can get serious about being competitive and bring in enough mid level free agents to be competitive when they have the cap space we did. We chose a different route.

I mostly agree, but I think the available offensive line players was really bad this last year. I do question prioritizing Polk over OT, but I’m willing to give them one more offseason to figure that out.